Lovely weekend of riding

[dalesnfellfan]

Finally got to ride Connie, had a lesson booked with Sam on Saturday and had intended to get straight on but when I arrived to get her ready the yard was in chaos, the people who run the pig farm whom I rent the stables and land from are involved with the local running club and store all the equipment in the other half of the empty pig building that my stables are in.  They were having a sort out and there were about 10 cars parked about including 2 blocking the field gate and a car and trailer blocking the door to my half of the building, there was a lot of commotion and bits of escaped rubbish blowing in the rather strong wind, so I had to get her ready tied to the field gate.  I chickened out and decided Sam could ride first, she seemed quite jumpy and when we took her across to the schooling area she shot through the two electric tape gateways so I was glad Sam was getting on first.

I needn't have worried though, although she was quite tense to start she soon settled and I got on and had a lovely lesson, she never put a foot wrong although she was very wary of getting too near the tape fence, we had a lovely trot and she is even longer striding with a saddle that fits, very horse like, Sam remarked she felt more like 16hh than 14.2hh.

When we brought her back through the gateways we found out why she was so wary of the tape when Sam got a shock, I had forgotten to turn the electric off!!

Yesterday we went for a hack, Amy is not riding at the moment so she came for a walk with me, we have to get out across a main road with visibility obscured by tall conifers and Connie was  a bit tense and not keen to stand still (we'll have to work on that) so I will need Amy to see me out until she gets the hang of waiting and listening then edging forward to check before going out.

She settled after about 100yds and we had a lovely ride, she was so good, if she's not sure of something she just tenses through her body and flicks an ear or maybe turns her head to look but just keeps on walking at the same speed, she was intrigued by a scarecrow and kept her neck bent all the way past and did have a small jump when she suddenly caught sight of herself in one of those mirrors to see out of driveways.  We also had 4 large deer running across the field toward us, they stopped when they reached the road right beside us and spun round and ran off again, she clocked them but didn't react.

Some photos from our hack, all my layers, fleece, body protector, jacket and air vest, make me look huge!!

DSCN1073 by andreatyrrell01, on Flickr

DSCN1074 by andreatyrrell01, on Flickr

DSCN1076 by andreatyrrell01, on Flickr

I am going out again this morning, this time on my own Amy will just see me across the road.

It feels so good to be riding again and so far I'm chuffed to bits with Connie.

[harveydales]

WOnderful! I'm so glad you had a good weekend riding at long last! Connie is lovely! In the first pic she reminds me very much of Harvey and the strange thing is, if I didn't know otherwise, I would have sworn those pics were taken riding down the lane opposite our house! Uncannily similar!

[dalesnfellfan]

We went out on our own this morning and we were both much more relaxed we passed a bungalow with a man on the roof removing the ridge tiles and throwing them onto drive below, she just flicked an ear in his direction as she walked passed.
She is very alert hacking and notices and looks at everything but doesn't really react to much at all.

We ventured off road today and went across a grass track between 2 large corn fields (very open) and then across the meadow which entails squeezing through a gap in the hedge and down a dip, she was very calm and just got on with it.

I was much more confident today, I think we are going to have lots of fun when she is fit, actually make that when we are both fit!!

[Debbie]

My goodness you two look wonderful together! I wish I was that chilled about things out hacking. What an amazing riding partner Wishing you and Connie many, many happy trails together

[kathnsonny]

Lovely that you are enjoying your riding again that's what it's all about, she sounds to be just what you need

[colmworthdales]

Well done Andrea - and Connie. Sounds like an excellent pony for you, and I hope you progress nicely together. Sure you will have the odd setback - she is a pony after all! - but hopefully they will only be little problems you can cope with easily. Keep us posted.  (By the way, were you stiff today after your long period without riding?)

[jaycee]

Fabulous, so pleased to read this.

[nedales]

Well done you both and isn't it all about feeling safe, adventuring and having fun?

[yanny]

They're such lovely photos; she looks stunning
I'm so glad for you that you were able to hack out alone! I remember when my confidence was at rock bottom, and when I was finally able to hack out alone again I felt like crying because of how happy I was. It seems so impossible until you can finally do it again and when you do it feels like such an achievement! Well done and I bet you can't wait until you can do even more. She sounds like a dream horse.

[dalesnfellfan]

Mar 16, 2015 19:15:52 GMT -1 colmworthdales said:

Well done Andrea - and Connie. Sounds like an excellent pony for you, and I hope you progress nicely together. Sure you will have the odd setback - she is a pony after all! - but hopefully they will only be little problems you can cope with easily. Keep us posted.  (By the way, were you stiff today after your long period without riding?)

I am a little stiff but nowhere as much as I expected, I think it helps that at the moment she is not as wide as I'm used to, she has hardly had any turn out all winter so now needs to regain the muscle she's lost.  I can already start to see the shape of her back changing after 2 weeks of turn out.

It's misty here this morning so if it doesn't clear we'll be doing some schooling.